Method and means for consolidating ballast

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for lifting a railroad track and for tamping the ballast thereof against the reaction of a rail stop which rail stop is provided with a shadowboard at its upper end and is located at the tamping point. When the track is jacked, the stop is lifted with the track until the shadowboard detects a reference beam, whereupon the jacking operation is terminated and the stop locked in relation to the machine frame at that point. The tamping then proceeds against the limiting reaction of the stop.

July 1, 1975 United States Patent [191 von Beckmann METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONSOLIDATING BALLAST Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant ExaminerRichard A. Bertsch [75] Inventor: Helmuth von Beckmann, Columbia,

[57] ABSTRACT The invention relates to a method and apparatus for lifting a railroad track and for tamping the ballast thereof against the reaction of a rail stop which rail [73] Assignee: Canron, lnc., Phillipsburg, NJ.

stop is provided with a shadowboard at its upper end and is located at the tamping point. When the track is jacked, the stop is lifted with the track until the shadowboard detects a reference beam, whereupon the jacking operation is terminated and the stop locked in relation to the machine frame at that point. The tamping then proceeds against the limiting reaction of the stop.

l 1964 D l I04 l2 311974 er er 04412 10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Plasser et al.

1 METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONSOLIDATING BALLAST BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known in the tamping art to provide a rail engaging stop mounted on a machine frame in the general vicinity of a tamping head so that pressure may be applied through the stop to the rail to provide a reaction against which the tamping operation may be effected. One of the drawbacks with the prior proposals was the difficulty in correctly and positively locating the stop.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of tamping ballast beneath a rail or railroad track comprising jacking the rail lifting a railengaging stop means by said rail, referring said stop means to a track surface reference system and locking said stop in position engaging said jacked rail, simultaneously terminating said jacking and tamping ballast beneath the rail against the limiting action of said locked stop means. Preferably, the limiting action of the stop means is applied above the point of tamping.

The present invention also provides apparatus for tamping ballast beneath a rail of a railroad track comprising a track surface reference system to provide a track surface datum; track travelling frame means; track jacking means on said frame means; rail-engaging stop means in continuous engagement with a rail and floatingly mounted on said frame means for free up and down movement thereon; reference system detecting means connected to said stop means; means responsive to the detection of said datum by said detecting means to generate a signal to terminate a track jacking operation of said jacking means and simultaneously to lock said stop means relative to said frame means; and ballast tamping means mounted on said frame means to tamp against the reaction of said locked stop means.

According to another feature of the invention the ap paratus further comprises rail-engaging roller means on said stop means to provide for rolling contact on the rail during frame travel; guide means on said frame; said detecting means being connected to said stop means so as to extend upwardly therefrom; said guide means providing for vertical floating connection between said detection means carried by said stop means and said frame, when said stop is unlocked from said frame.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the guide means comprise a hydraulic cylinder with a piston rod therein, the detection means being mounted on an upper end of said piston rod and the lower end of the piston rod being mounted on the stop means.

Preferably, the reference system is a light beam system and the detection element is a shadowboard.

The tamping means preferably comprise tamping units of the vibratory squeeze type with said stop means being positioned longitudinally of the track betwen the tamping units.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following is a description by way of example of certain embodiments of the invention, reference being had to the accompany drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation in partial side elevation, and partially in section;

LII

FIG. 2 is a detail, in elevation, of an alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 3 a detail, in plan view, of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing,

A tamping machine 10 of known general configuration is provided with a tamping means 11. The tampin g means 11 may also be of known form and as shown comprise two vibratory squeeze tamping units 12 located on the machine to tamp track ballast B at a tamping point P beneath a tie T to be tamped.

Mounted on the machine frame 20 is track lifting jacket diagramatically indicated at 21. Track lifting jacks are well known in the art and it is not important to the concept of the present invention what form they should take.

The tamping machine 10 is provided with a track surface reference system 25. Again track reference systems are well known in the art and it is not fundamental to the present invention what precise track reference system is used but conveniently, and preferably, is of the type shown in which a track reference datum D is created by an infrared beam transmitter 27 and a receiver 28. The transmitter 27 may be suitably mounted, as is known, on a self-propelled, wheeled buggy 29 which precedes the tamping machine 10 on uncorrected track. A track reference system detecting means, in the form of a shadowboard 30, is referenced to the rail R through a piston rod 31 which is mounted on a stop means 32 connected to the other end of the piston rod 33. The stop 32 is provided with rollers 35 which run on the track during machine travel. Piston rod 33 slides, with its piston 36 in a hydraulic cylinder 37, mounted on frame 20, which acts as a guideway for the piston rod 33. The outside of cylinder 37 acts as a guide for tamping head frame 38 which is raised and lowered relative to the frame 20 by means of a hydraulic piston 40. A squeeze cylinder 41 is provided for squeesing the tamping units 12 together in the direction of the arrows beneath the tie T to be tamped so as to consolidate the ballast B at the tamping point P. The tamping heads 16, if desired, may have shoulders 42 which further consolidate the ballast at the sides of the tie 7.

The hydraulic cylinder 37 is connected by means of hydraulic lines 43 and 44 through a control valve 46. The track lifting jack 21 is hydraulically connected with a pump 47 and reservoir 48 toward a valve 49. Valves 46, 49 are electrically controlled through control circuit 50 by signals generated by the receiver 38.

In operation, when the quantity of received light at the receiver 28 increases beyond a certain level, the receiver 28 senses that the tie T is low because the shadowboard 30, which rests on the rail by means of the stop 32, has fallen below the datum D thereby exposing the receiver 38. The receiver 38 through a control circuit 50 controls the valve 49 which connects the pump 47 with jack 21 to jack the track. The rail, on being jacked upwardly, lifts the stop 32 and piston rod 31, which is free to float within the cylinder 37, and the shadowboard 30 is moved up to detect the datum D. As soon as shadowboard 30 is in its correct position, indicating that the track above tie T has been lifted to the correct height, a signal is generated by the receiver 28 which through control circuit 50 stops flow through valves 46 and 49 to terminate the jacking operation of the jack 21 and at the same time to pistion rod 36 in cylinder 37 whereby to lock the stop 32 to the frame 20.

The tamping heads 12 which meanwhile have been moved into position by means of the cylinder 40 now tamp the ballast at tamping point P beneath tie T against the limiting action of the stop 32. Since the stop 32 is correctly positioned with regard to the reference system, the tamping of the tie T can be performed to accurately position it.

On completion of tamping a pressure switch (not shown) operates in known fashion to release the clamps of, and to return, the lifting jack 21 and to operate the cylinder 40 to retract the tamping heads 12 from the ballast. At the same time the position of valve 46 reverses thereby unloading the piston rod 31 and permitting it once again to float freely within the cylinder 37. The stop rolls along the rail when the machine moves forward enabling the shadowboard 30 to follow the rail profile. When a low tie is detected the operation is repeated.

In the alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the valve 46A is operated in the same fashion as the valve 46 by a control circuit 50A similar to circuit 50, to operate hydraulic clamp 55 to close collar 56 about reaction rod 31A and lock it to the collar 56, which in turn is rapidly mounted on frame A. In this fashion the stop 32A is locked to the frame 20A when shadowboard A encounters datum D. Lifting is simultaneously terminated as before.

The positioning of the stop 32 longitudinally between the tamping heads 12 permits the reaction force of the stop means 32 to be applied to the rail immediately above the tamping point P thereby providing the optimum reaction for tamping by the stop 32.

It is to be understood that the signal to terminate the jacking operation of the jack 21 could, instead of operating automatically to terminate jacking, provide an operator indication to enable the operator to terminate jacking and to simultaneously lock the stop 32 relative to the frame 20.

What I claim is:

l. A method of lifting a rail of a railroad track and tamping ballast therebeneath comprising jacking the rail lifting a rail-engaging stop means by said rail, referring said stop means to a track surface reference system and locking said stop in position engaging said jacked rail, simultanously terminating said jacking and tamping the ballast beneath the rail against the limiting action of said locked stop means.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the limiting action of said stop means is applied immediately ad jacent the point of tamping and of lifting.

3. Apparatus for lifting a rail of railroad track and tamping ballast therebeneath comprising a track surface reference system to provide a track surface datum; track travelling frame means; track jacking means on said frame; rail-engaging stop means in continuous engagement with the rail and floatingly mounted on said frame means for free up and down movement thereon; reference system detecting means connected to said stop means; means responsive to the detection of said datum by said detecting means to generate a signal to terminate a track jacking operation of said jacking means and simultaneously to lock said stop means relative to said frame means; and ballast tamping means mounted on said frame means to tamp the ballast beneath the rail against the reaction of said locked stop means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which stop means is positioned directly above the point of tamping.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising rail engaging roller means on said stop means to provide for rolling contact on the rail during frame travel; guide means on said frame; said detecting means being connected to said stop means so as to extend upwardly therefrom; said guide means providing for a vertical floating connection between said detection means carried by said stop means and said frame when said stop is unlocked from said frame.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said guide means comprises a hydraulic cylinder; a piston rod therein; said detection means being mounted on an upper end of said piston rod and a lower end of said piston rod being mounted on said stop means.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said reference system is a light beam system and said detection element is a shadowboard.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said tamping means comprise tamping units of the vibratory squeeze type, said stop means being positioned longitudinally of the track between said units.

9. Apparatus for lifting a rail of a railroad track and tamping the ballast therebeneath comprising a track surface reference system to provide a track surface datum; track travelling frame means; track jacking means on said frame means; rail engaging stop means in continuous engagement with the rail; rod means on said stop means and extending upwardly therefrom; rod guide means on said frame means engaging said rod means for free up and down movement therein; reference system detecting means connected to an upper end of said rod means; rod-locking means; means responsive to the detection of said datum by said detecting means to generate a signal; to activate said locking means to lock said rod means in said guide means, and the stop means thereon to said frame and simultaneously to terminate a track jacking operation of said jacking means; and ballast tamping means mounted on said frame means to tamp the ballast beneath the rail against the reaction of said locked stop means.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which said locking means is a hydraulically operated collar connected to said frame.

l l l 

1. A method of lifting a rail of a railroad track and tamping ballast therebeneath comprising jacking the rail, lifting a rail-engaging stop means by said rail, referring said stop means to a track surface reference system and locking said stop in position engaging said jacked rail, simultanously terminating said jacking and tamping the ballast beneath the rail against the limiting action of said locked stop means.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the limiting action of said stop means is applied immediately adjacent the point of tamping and of lifting.
 3. Apparatus for lifting a rail of railroad track and tamping ballast therebeneath comprising a track surface reference system to provide a track surface datum; track travelling frame means; track jacking means on said frame; rail-engaging stop means in continuous engagement with the rail and floatingly mounted on said frame means for free up and down movement thereon; reference system detecting means connected to said stop means; means responsive to the detection of said datum by said detecting means to generate a signal to terminate a track jacking operation of said jacking means and simultaneously to lock said stop means relative to said frame means; and ballast tamping means mounted on said frame means to tamp the ballast beneath the rail against the reaction of said locked stop means.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which stop means is positioned directly above the point of tamping.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising rail engaging roller means on said stop means to provide for rolling contact on the rail during frame travel; guide means on said frame; said detecting means being connected to said stop means so as to extend upwardly therefrom; said guide means providing for a vertical floating connection between said detection means carried by said stop means and said frame when said stop is unlocked from said frame.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said guide means comprises a hydraulic cylinder; a piston rod therein; said detection means being mounted on an upper end of said piston rod and a lower end of said piston rod being mounted on said stop means.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said reference system is a light beam system and said detection element is a shadowboard.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said tamping means comprise tamping units of the vibratory squeeze type, said stop means being positioned longitudinalLy of the track between said units.
 9. Apparatus for lifting a rail of a railroad track and tamping the ballast therebeneath comprising a track surface reference system to provide a track surface datum; track travelling frame means; track jacking means on said frame means; rail engaging stop means in continuous engagement with the rail; rod means on said stop means and extending upwardly therefrom; rod guide means on said frame means engaging said rod means for free up and down movement therein; reference system detecting means connected to an upper end of said rod means; rod-locking means; means responsive to the detection of said datum by said detecting means to generate a signal; to activate said locking means to lock said rod means in said guide means, and the stop means thereon to said frame and simultaneously to terminate a track jacking operation of said jacking means; and ballast tamping means mounted on said frame means to tamp the ballast beneath the rail against the reaction of said locked stop means.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which said locking means is a hydraulically operated collar connected to said frame. 